Automatic switch for trolley-roads.



0. E. EDWARDS, Jl.

UTOATIU SWITCH FOB TROLLEY ROADS.

nruoulol un JUL! 1, 1911.

1,085,1 15. Patented Aug. e, 1912.

mumwumvmns i but ina different way.

s'ramis 1 lA1`E1`TT OFFICE.

oonEN mmf envenena Jn., oF- 'Nnw rolex, N. Y; AssIeNon 'ro cnnsrnm ELEC- ',rnrc swrrcnmo manon comun, or LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, A. conromrxon Twawvomt amg/commu Beitv known that I, QGDENELLERYED# wanna, Jr., aI citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, county of Kin andi State of New York (whose post-ofilce' address is- 206 Broadway, New York` city), have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Switches forTrolley-Roads, of which the followmg is a specification.

The' object' of my invention is to provide a switchin device of the class shown 1n the Cheat am Patents 612,702, 606,313, 787,827 and 917,541, as well as 1n the Cheatham a plication 634,799, filed June 22nd?, 1911. n each of these atenta and in thisI application is shown an describedv an automatic switching device in which a motor cnrrentin a trolley car passing under thedevices causes-theswitch to be thrown in one direction, and ,less than a motor current inthe same cai" will cause the switch to beI thrown in the'other direction. The same result isI obtained b my invention, n each' of these Cheatham patents, andy in the application, theY motor current is drawn through the winding of the magnet of a relay when the trolley wheel of the car is on# a conductor insulated from the trolley wire. In my invention theI trolley wire is not interrupted, butA iev continuous, or theI conductor on which the trolley wheel rests is in electrical connection with the trolley wire without the intervention of the win ing of a ma et or anything else. The ma et of a rc ay, such as is usedf in telegrap instruments 1s connected to two separate points on the trolley wire, so that when a motor current is drawn throu h ya trolley wheel,`between these points, a iii'erence in potential is cstablished between these points, and then a current williflow through the' magnetof the relay, and the difference int potential' will be suilicient te draw the armature of the relay toward the magnet. When'less than a motor ycurrent `'is takenl through thev trolley wheel, this armature will= remain al1-rest Specification of yLettera Patent. 4Application led Inly 7, 1911iv Serial Noi 637,828.

Patented Aug. 6, 1912.

away from the magnet. 'The armature of the relay is connected witha double solenoid, the samel as in the Cheatham atents and application, andE a circuit is esta lished between the trolley wire and the armature in any of' many ways, and preferably as shown herein, the general scheme being that shown and described in the Farmer Patent No. 552,057, although it is obvious that any other arrangement may be employed which will prevent the continuous flow of current through the double solenoid when the device isl not inl use.

ForA a more particularI description of my' invention, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof, 1n which the ligure shows a diagrammatic view of one embodiment of my invention.

A trolley wire 1l ismounted in any suit.- able wayl andi is adapted to be engagedI by a trolleyl wheel 2 inthe conventional' manner. AL rela-y 3', which may be of any' suitable form,- but is preferably of the typeused' in telegraphy, isconnected tothe trolley wire 1 by aa'wire 4f which runs to a poi-nt rv,

and another wire 5 which runs to a point 1f on the wire I. The distance which separates 4the points :n and y may be varied to suit the conditions of service and it is desirable that no feeder wire come to the trolley wire between these points. When a motor current is drawn through the trolley wheel 2', a difference of potential is established between'the points zu and 1/ which is sucient to draw the armature 6' of the relay 3 toward the magnet 7, and then this arma-- ture connects with a contact 8 which has a wire 9 running to a coil 10 of the double solenoid 11. At this time'the energizing of the magnet 7 is sutlicient to overcome the energy of the retracting spring 12 which may be adjusted in any convenient way, so as to cause the armature (l tov remain at the contact 13 except when moved in response to a motor current, as above described. Th'e contact 131 is connected by a wire 14 tolthe other winding 15 of the douwhich ma ble solenoid 11. This double solenoid is provided with a core 16 which is shifted one way or the other, dependin on which coil is energized, as shown in sai Cheatham patents, or otherwise, as desired. Both of these coils are grounded through a wire 17 in the conventional manner.

It is obvious that when the device is in use and at no other` time, the armature 6 must be supplied with electricity if the device is to be operated, and if there is to be no waste of current. Many means may be employed for permitting current to fiow to this armature at the proper time and I describe one with the understanding that any other may be substituted, if desired, the one shown being substantially that shown in the said Farmer Patent 552,057, dated December 24th, 1895. In my invention the armature 6 is connected to a wire 18 that runs to a contact 19 which is ada ted to be engaged by an armature 20, w ich is preferably a gravity armature which is connected to a wire 21 that runs to the trolley wire 1 at any convenient point as the contact y. The armature is normally away from the contact point 19, so that the circuit throu h the wire 18 is open at this point when t e device is not in use. The means for closing the circuit at this oint when the device is in use is as fol ows: A ribbon of metal or other suitable material 22 is supported above the trolley wire 1 by means of suitable brackets 23, the lower arts of be made of metal an secured to the tro ley wire 1 in any suitable manner, and the upper parts 24, are blocks of insulatingmaterial to which the ribbon 22 is secured by bolts 25, or other suitable means,and theseinsulating blocks 24 may he secured by bolts 26. These brackets 23 also have projections with eyelets 27 adapted to receive guide-wires or other suitable means for holding them in lace. One of the brackets 23 is provide with a projection 28 to which is secured a relay 29 of which the part 20 is the armature. This rela 29 has its magnet connected to a bolt y a wire 30 and the other end of the windin of the magnet of this relay 29 is connected by a wire 31 to a resistance 32 which is connected to the ground by a wire 33, or in any other suitable manner, so that when the trolley wheel 2 is in contact with the ribbon 22, a circuit is established direct to the ground through the relay 29 and resistance 32. Onl a very small amount of current will lea in this way so that no destructive arcing will result between the ribbon 22 and the trolley wire l.

Near the point w the trolley wire is shown broken. This is done to indicate that the exact location of the oint a: is not material, provided-it is su ciently remote from the point y to permit the necessary difierence in potential. This point is preferably outside of the brackets 23 so that the armature 6 will make and break with the contacts 13 and 8 when they are not energized, whereby excessive sparkm is avoided. This ma be changed if desire but the best embo iment of my invention known to me is the one I have shown.

It will be noted that in the embodiment of my invention herein shown and described, the elements are all old, but I claim that the combination is new. It is not material what the recise form of these elements is, provided the combination is substantially as set forth, so as to bring about the following operation: When the trolley wheel has no motor current passing through it and passes between the points and y, the armature 6 remains in contact with the point 13 because the tension of the spring is not overcome by themagnet 7, liGht, heat and air brake motor currents not being suicient to cause a difference of potential great enough to energize the magnet 7 so that it will overcome the tension of the spring l2. When the wheel 2 comes in contact with the rib bon 22, a circuit is immediately established to the ground through the winding of the magnet of the relay 29, and then the armature 2O is drawn to the contact 19 when a circuit is established directly from the trolley wire 1 to the armature 6, so that the coil t 15 of the double solenoid 11 is energized. When a motor current is drawn through the trolley wheel 2 the action is the same as that above described, except that the difference in otential between the points a: and y is suthcient to cause a current to flow through the magnet 7 which will ener ize it enough to overcome the tension of t e spring 12, and throw the armature 6 against the contact 8, in which event the windin 10 of the double solenoid 11 is energized Instead of the winding 15.

When using this device, the motorman should be careful to have his motor current off or on, accordin to the way he wishes to o, when the trol ey Wheel 2 1s in Contact wit the ribbon 22.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is In a device of the class described, a trolley wire, a trolley wheel, a relay with its magnet connected to said trolley wire at separated points, an armature for said relay and two contacts against one or the other of which, said armature normally rests, means for holding said armature in its normal position when the magnet of the relay is not sufficiently energized to draw this armature, a double solenoid with one end of cach coil grounded and the other end connected to one of said contacts so that either but not botli of said coils may be enerthe coils of the solenoid to be energized und 10 gized at one time by a current passing less than a motor current will cause the throu h said armature and means conother of said coils to be energized.

trolle by the trolley wheel for causin a @errent to pass through said armature w en OGDEN ELLERY EDWARDS JR' the trolley wheel is on a iredetermined part Witnesses:

of such trolley wire, so t at when the device GUs'rAvE I. AnoNow,

is in use, a motor current will cause one of ARTHUR W. HEAD.

@eplaza et this patent my be cbtoined for he cents each. by addteulng the Commluioner ot Patents,

` Washington, 1D. 0. 

